Perioperative Nutrition in Pancreatic Surgery

Perioperative nutrition is a very important but often underestimated aspect of perioperative care. Malnourished patients undergoing pancreatic resection carry a significantly higher risk of postoperative complications and prolonged recovery. Before surgery, nutritional screening should be performed in all patients using validated screening questionnaires followed by a formal nutritional assessment including body composition assessment. A personalized nutritional intervention including a dietary plan and oral nutritional supplements combined with physical exercise is now recommended to improve preoperative patient conditions in a risk reduction strategy. Postoperatively, early oral intake is safe and beneficial, but a significant proportion of patients still require artificial nutrition support before and after hospital discharge. This chapter describes recommended preoperative nutritional workup and interventions to optimize patient conditions before pancreatic surgery, and postoperative nutritional care.